


A Warriors Journey

by Firestarter89



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:46:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24288355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firestarter89/pseuds/Firestarter89
Summary: Russetclaw is living the good life as ShadowClan's Deputy, but when he discovers a worrying tidbit about his past, he is thrust into a world of uncertainty. Now he must choose whether to stay as he is, or go in search of the truth.A Warrior's Journey is a fanfic based off of the bestselling series by Erin Hunter. Featuring an all new cast of characters set in much the same place.Kind of works as a rewrite, though not really. Timeline is set up such that the canon characters have all passed into legend. (Assuming Tree never existed and the clans still remember that they have claws for a reason, lol.)There are some subtle differences with clan culture that I will be implementing in subtle ways throughout the series, basically as a test run for things that I think would make more sense in how the society runs to help it do so more smoothly in more engaging ways.





	1. Allegiences: Prologue - Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! Thanks for reading! Just to note, this story takes place a few generations past the canon setting in A Vision of Shadows. I have not read any of the newest series and I don't intend to. Sorry if some things aren't accurate according to whatever retconned-in-for-convenience changes that were made in recent installments.
> 
> -Molly

**CLAN ALLEGIENCES**

**WINDCLAN**

**Leader**

Honeystar- Longhaired golden tabby she-cat with green eyes.

**Deputy**

Sandheart- Sleek pale ginger she-cat with amber eyes.

**Medicine Cat**

Junipernose- Pale grey tom with white on his face and paws, and blue eyes.

 **Warriors** (Toms and she-cats older than 12 moons without kits)

Swiftstep- Black and white she-cat with hazel eyes.

Lionclaw- Golden tabby she-cat with blazing amber eyes. **Apprentice, Quailpaw**

Lightningfang- Large, muscular white tom with one green eye and one blue.

Rowanfoot- Dark ginger tom with green eyes and a black ticked tail. **Apprentice, Gorsepaw**

Ploverfur- Grey tabby and white she-cat.

Poseycloud- white tom with brown and ginger tabby splotches. **Apprentice, Featherpaw**

Gooseclaw- Muscular white tom with amber eyes

Emberfang- Ruddy red ginger tabby tom with a black-ticked tail. **Apprentice, Russetpaw**

Cedarfur- Pale brown and white tabby tom. **Apprentice, Ravenpaw**

Grousefur- Black and white she-cat.

Harestep- pale brown tabby she-cat.

 **Apprentices** (Cats older than 6 moons, in training to become warriors)

Quailpaw- Brown and cream tabby she-cat.

Gorsepaw- Brown tabby she-cat.

Featherpaw Grey tabby she-cat.

Russetpaw- Longhaired pale brown tabby tom with white front paws and tail tip and amber eyes.

Ravenpaw- Longhaired black tom with white back paws and amber eyes.

 **Queens** (She-cats older than 12 moons who are nursing or expecting kits)

Leechflower- Beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat with distinctive black and ginger markings. [Mother of Emberfang's kits: Pinekit (Ginger tabby she-kit), Cherrykit (Tortoiseshell tabby she-kit), and Poppykit (Ginger tom).]

Reedstripe- Golden brown tabby she-cat with hazel eyes. Formerly of RiverClan.

Fogpelt- Pale grey she-cat. Eldest Nursery Queen.

 **Elders** (Former warriors and queens, now retired.)

Briarfur- Scruffy grey-brown tabby tom.

Lostfoot- Pale ginger and brown tabby she-cat with three legs. Forced to retire early after amputation.

Luckypelt- Black tom with blind eyes and extensive scarring. The oldest cat in WindClan.

**SHADOWCLAN**

**Leader**

Shadestar- Elderly grey tabby tom with green eyes.

**Deputy**

Swanface- Sleek white she-cat with blue eyes.

**Medicine Cat(s)**

Stormpelt- White she-cat with grey spotting on her ears and haunches, and a fluffy grey tail.

Hawkpaw- Longhaired brown tabby tom.

**Warriors**

Sprucefur- Reddish grey tabby tom. **Apprentice, Mousepaw**

Tawnywhisker- Cinnamon tabby she-cat.

Halfear- Shaggy, scarred grey tom with orange eyes and one ear missing.

Icepelt- White tom with a scarred muzzle. **Apprentice, Stonepaw**

Addernose- Dark brown tabby tom.

Deerheart- Pale tabby she-cat.

Bluefoot- Grey furred she-cat.

Foxfur- Russet tabby tom with amber eyes.

Firestorm- Ginger tabby she-cat.

Cinderstream- Pale grey she-cat.

Newtstep- Black tom with a lurching gait.

Littlestorm- Small brown tabby she-cat. **Apprentice, Nightpaw**

**Apprentices**

Mousepaw- Grey-brown she-cat with tabby markings on her face and legs.

Stonepaw- Grey tom with tabby markings on his tail.

Nightpaw- White tom with a black tail, black back legs, and black ears.

**Queens**

Snowstream- White she-cat with hazel eyes.

Applewhisker- Bright ginger she-cat.

Falconclaw- Grey and brown tabby she-cat with distinctive black markings and white paws.

Lynxflower- Cream-furred longhaired she-cat with brown tabby points. Mother of Icepelt and Shadestar's kits, Sleetkit (white she-kit), Duskkit (cream tom with grey tabby points), Mintkit (pale grey she-kit), Aspenkit (Grey-brown tabby tom), and Flintkit (grey tom). Eldest nursery queen.

**Elders**

Viperclaw- Grey-and-black tabby tom with green eyes.

Cloudeyes- Shaggy brown tabby tom with heavy cataracts in both eyes.

Jaggedfang- Muddy brown she-cat with a broken tooth.

Silentstep- Black tom with amber eyes. Completely deaf in both ears.

**THUNDERCLAN**

**Leader**

Nettlestar- Distinctive grey tabby she-cat with four white paws.

**Deputy**

Dustheart- Pale brown tabby tom with sharp amber eyes. **Apprentice, Geckopaw**

**Medicine Cat(s)**

Fireleaf- Gorgeous marbled tabby ginger she-cat with green eyes.

Ivyfang- Grey and white mottled tabby she-cat with amber eyes. Former warrior.

**Warriors**

Stoneclaw- Large, grey-brown tabby with amber eyes.

Darkstorm- Muscular grey-brown tabby with amber eyes. **Apprentice, Mothpaw**

Goldenstripe- Golden brown tabby she-cat.

**RIVERCLAN**

**Leader**

Pikestar- Dark grey-tabby tom with blue eyes.

**Deputy**

Mudwhisker- Brown tabby tom with green eyes.

**Medicine Cat(s)**

Eaglefeather- brown and white tabby tom.

Ripplepaw- Smoke grey tom with distinct, rippling, black tabby markings.

**SKYCLAN**

**Leader**

Brackenstar- Pale brown she-cat with a white face and front paws. 

**Deputy**

Ashfang- Grey tom with a distinctive dappled coat.

**Medicine Cat(s)**

Duskfur- Dark grey tabby tom with blue eyes.

Shatteredfoot- Black and white she-cat with a twisted, broken leg.

**Cats Outside the Clans**

Crow- Black tom with white front paws and orange eyes.


	2. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: animal death, grief.

Lightning forked across a velvety black sky like a ragged claw scratch. The rumble of thunder to follow was drowned out by a yowl of intense agony. A torrential rain pounded the clearing of a grassy campsite and several pairs of eyes gleamed out from the shelter of the dens situated at the edge of the clearing. The clan was restless but no one dared sleep or venture out into the dark, damp cold.

"Will she be alright?" One cat asked another as they huddled with a group of others in one of the bigger dens.

"I don't know. I hope so." Replied a brown tom. His tabby fur was plastered to his thin frame as he crouched over his nest. He could taste the others fearscent and knew his own was probably just as strong.

"That's enough!" Growled a golden tabby she-cat. She was crouched nearest the entrance to the den with her back to the cats. Though as she listened to them murmur among themselves, the comments stung her own nerves and she whipped around to face them, her expression stressed.

"Duskstar is strong and her kits are stronger. We all prepared for this and she has Cloverleaf with her. She will survive! She must!"

"But she's so old... too old to be having kits in the middle of leaf-fall." Mewed a white she-cat towards the center of the huddle. A lot of cats nodded in agreement, anxiety on their faces.

"And she never said who the father was." Added a ginger she-cat with a growl. "Only a cat with something to hide does that."

"There's never been an obligation for a queen to divulge that information." Growled the golden tabby, puffing out her chest. Her long fur bristled along her shoulders. "Are you suggesting Duskstar's loyalty is questionable, Lionclaw?"

"No, but I'm just saying... why all the secrecy? What does she have to hide from us?" Lionclaw mewed defensively. "She may be your mother, Honeycloud, but she's never been perfect."

"Agreed, but then. No one ever is. None of us are." Piped up a muscular white tom who was hunched over next to Lionclaw. He rested his tail on hers and gave her a calming look.

More yowls of pain came from across the camp, the sheet of rain blocking the other side of the camp from view. Honeycloud thought she saw a shadow racing across the camp and figured Cloverleaf was sending her apprentice to the medicine den and back for more herbs. She kneaded the floor of the den with her claws, wishing she could help her mother fight this battle and knowing that no matter what she said, she knew deep down she had the same misgivings as the rest of WindClan.

Duskstar had been in labor for most of the night. When it started, the whole clan had sprung into action the multiple plans and contingencies they had sorted out. But when there was nothing left to do but wait, they stayed gathered in the clearing, some pacing while others sat listening in agitation and worry. The younger, hotblooded toms were the most restless. Then, it had begun to rain and that had forced the Clan to retreat to their dens. Now it had to be near past moonhigh and the occasional screeches of pain kept the whole clan from getting any sleep.

Honeycloud knew that the longer this night dragged on, the more their anxiety grew. Most of the clan could sense that this was Duskstar's last life, and if she lost it here... Honeycloud turned back to look out at the dark sheet of rain. The storm seemed to match her mood. She angled her ears back as the warriors settled and began to share tongues, grooming each other and sharing their concerned gossip.

The golden she-cat had lost track of the conversation, though she could tell the senior warriors were sharing stories of past kittings that were comparable to this one. The worst part about it all was being cut off from the nursery and not knowing what's happening. She could only assume the worst listening to her mother's agonized screams. A soft ruffle of fur and a sandy furred she-cat was laying next to her. She rasped her tongue over Honeycloud's ear, a comforting gesture. Honeycloud purred and turned to press her nose into her mates neckfur.

"Thanks, Sandheart." Her mew was muffled but not unintelligible. Sandheart took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh.

"Don't pay any attention to Lionclaw. She's just scared. We all are. Duskstar's led WindClan for such a very long time, a lot of us weren't even born when Duskstar became leader. She's the center of all we know." Honeycloud listened to Sandheart's logic with a reluctant close of her eyes. Then she shifted to place her chin on Sandheart's shoulders.

"I know. That doesn't make me feel better. As deputy, I always knew that I would become leader eventually. But... as you say, her death is going to scar us for a long time. When it comes, I mean. I just don't understand why she had to go and get herself pregnant now of all times. Were me and my brothers not enough? She's too old for this." Honeycloud was silent for a long time after that, thinking and listening to the rain. 

"I can't answer that, I'm sorry." Sandheart sighed, but she let her mate find solace in curling into her side and soon noticed Honeycloud's deep breathing. She purred affectionately and lowered her head to get comfortable herself.

The next morning, a black tom stood at the crest of a hill that was covered in heather and tall grasses, his presence had gone unnoticed by the clan he watched below. The sight of an intimately familiar cat being dragged out into the clearing had shocked him to a standstill. A yowl of grief echoed up to his ears as a golden-hued cat bolted out of the crowd and threw herself onto the body, nuzzled the fur, and trembled like a kit. He could only watch as the scene unfolded into the Clan gathering around to say goodbye. He yearned to be down there, to press his nose into the body, but he knew that if he showed himself, he would likely be torn to shreds. Clan cats were never known to be welcoming towards outsiders, though he knew Duskstar to be different. The rest of the clan would never accept him, especially not now.

With that in mind, the black tom heaved a heavy sigh, got to his paws, and began making his way back down the hill towards the border and beyond. He didn't have a reason to be here anymore, and the memory of her hurt him too much to stay even if there was. He paused at the border as a breeze rustled the grass and he lifted his head to catch her scent on the wind one last time before he was gone for good. 


	3. Chapter 1: Familial Bonds

The sun splashed the hillside with color as it spilled out over the lake territories from the eastern horizon. Each blade of grass and leaf was drooping with dew dusting the sea of grass and heather in silver. A brown tabby tom padded through the tal arching stalks with his mouth open, tasting for scents while a dark ginger tom held back with a watchful gaze.

"What is it?" The tom asked of his companion with a tilt of his head.

"Hmmm... rabbit, cat, blood, looks like the hunting patrol went by this way last night. and I think there's a trace of dog. Stale, though. Maybe a few days." The brown tabby replied, stopping to pass his tongue over his whiskers as his mentor caught up and double checked.

"I think you're right. Honeystar will want to know about that, and the lingering scent of blood was a good catch too. I'll tell Sandheart we need to rotate the hunting patterns again, this section of the moors will be scarce for a while. Well spotted, Russetpaw."

Emberfang's praise made his chest swell out. Russetpaw had only been an apprentice for about a moon, now. He and his brother, Ravenpaw were half-siblings with Honeystar, but, almost as though it were an attempt to not make them feel special, Honeystar wasn't as warm or close to them. Emberfang was tough on him, but not unfairly so. Praise was sought and dished out when it was deserved, but never was it withheld.

It was the day before the gathering and the brothers had split off with theit respective mentors for some scent tracking training. By which of course the older cats had meant patrolling. Russetpaw continued on following the path that would lead them down to the copse of trees.

A long time ago, WindClan had owned territory all the way to the stream, but then SkyClan returned. According to the stories the elders tell, WindClan and RiverClan had been made to acknowledge how large their territories were. It wasn't fair that Shadow and Thunder had to be the only clans to give up territory so that SkyClan could settle. So, WindClan gave back the copse of trees to ThunderClan, and RiverClan gave up some of their territory to accommodate ShadowClan. Everyone lost so that the 5 could be together again and gain so much more.

Russetpaw scratched his claws on a tree trunk and rubbed his chin on it to mark that he had been here and to strengthen the border in his adolescent way. He stood and watched as Emberfang lifted his tail on another tree further down and the two toms moved along towards the lake, skirting the treeline with a respectful distance. At one point, they met up with a patrol of ThunderClan cats but neither patrols stopped to talk. Instead, the two clans merely waved their tails at each other in greeting as they passed.

Russetpaw stuck close to Emberfang as he recognized the broad shoulders and tabby pelt of Darkstorm. The two clans were on uneasy peaceful terms now, but half a moon ago, there had been tensions over the late newleaf. Russetpaw chalked it up to desperations leading cats to do desperate things, but kept his mouth shut because that opinion was equally aimed at Honeystar and how she had dealt with the thievery with disproportionate violence. There had been a battle, and Russetpaw had seen for himself how strong Darkstorm was. The memory was fresh and he still felt intimidated being this close to the tom.

Emberfang chuckled as he noticed. "Calm down, Russetpaw. We're not in conflict with them anymore, remember?"

"I know that... still, isn't it better to be wary? Especially with someone like Darkstorm?" Russetpaw flicked his tail back and forth behind him, allowing the dew to streak his fur and cool him down from what was already a hot newleaf day. Maybe that was due to his thick fur, as he noticed Emberfang was not having any such issue.

"Why? Because he's dangerous? Russetpaw. Fogpelt is dangerous, Luckypelt is dangerous, _I'm_ dangerous. Given time, you will be too. Just wait. You will not have to fear him when you are made a warrior. By then, I will have taught you the skills you need to get the better of any warrior."

Russetpaw lowered his head at that, though he did purr in amusement at the thought of someone like Luckypelt being dangerous. The old tom was so scarred up it was hard to recognize him as a cat. He was slapped out of his thoughts by the feel of Emberfang's tail striking him across the fsce. He looked up to see his mentor bounding away from him.

"Hey!" Russetpaw gave chase with a shout of indignation and soon after that they were at the lakeshore. Russetpaw was panting heavily. His fur was so long and thick that it weighed heavily on him. He had been perfectly fine during all of leafbare, albeit a serious shedding problem. But now that the snow was gone? The heat was unbearable. He looked out at the lake with his mentor in silence, then an idea struck him. The dew had felt so good and cooling, what would it be like to be totally wet?

"Hey, hold on before we go any further." Russetpaw noticed Emberfang getting prepared to leave again and called out to him.  
"Yes?"  
"I'm curious, how do you handle the heat with your thick fur?"

"Oh. That's easy." Emberfang got to his paws and stepped out to the water until it was chest height. "Just to about here, then I go about my day. It's cold and a bit uncomfortable until you get used to it, but it stays cool for the rest of the day. Cloverleaf came up with this after I got a really bad case of heatstroke when I was about your age. Come on, I bet you'd like it."

Russetpaw blinked at him as though he had grown a second tail, but then remembered the dew and ventured forth to join his mentor. Even with the warning, the cold lakewater was a shock and he didn't know how he felt about it partially soaking through his fur. As he walked in deeper, he lifted each paw as high above the water as he could to show his instinctual displeasure, and Emberfang snorted.

"You look like a stork!" He laughed, and Russetpaw shot him a glare. Though he did admit to himself that his panting had diminished on his wading into the water. He was neck height when he was side by side with Emberfang, but he could still dig his claws into the muddy bottom and not feel like he was going to be sucked away.

"Hey!" Shouted a voice. The pair of them turned around to see a patrol of WindClan cats racing towards them. When they got closer, Russetclaw recognized Lionclaw, Ploverfur, Grousefur and Quailpaw. The two of them headed back to the shore to meet them. Lionclaw's expression was murderous and she didn'tgive Emberfang a chance to speak.

"Don't we have enough RiverClan fish-brains and pretenders in camp? You have to go and teach him that move too?" She spat. Emberfang flinched but held his ground.

"He's having the same issues as I did with the heat and his fur." Emberfang did his best not to sound too defensive, at least Russetpaw thought so. He was looking from one to the other and noticing that the other warriors were not... backing her up, but they weren't jumping out to defend him and Emberfang either.

"Yes, because willingly getting wet and learning to swim is such a valuable skill to a _WindClan Cat_." Lionclaw sniffed disdainfully. Russetpaw saw her flash him a look that was filled with... something. He stared back until she looked away, but by then he had already decided to speak for himself.

"It's no secret that my fur is very heavy. I was panting too hard after racing down here from the ThunderClan border, and Emberfang helped me not pass out. Not that that's any of your business. What does it matter that I need to get my fur wet to keep from passing out?" Lionclaw interrupted him by slapping him with her paw. She had clearly tried to keep her claws sheathed, but anger had made her sloppy. The impact jerked his head to the side and Russetpaw fell to his haunches, made dizzy by the she-cats strength. He stared at the grass as blood dripped from his muzzle.

"You will know your place, halfbreed. Do not ever address me again with such disrespect." Russetpaw was staring mutinously at the grass, but he said nothing more. The other cats were stunned into silence, though Emberfang nudged his apprentice to his paws and they merged into the patrol and began the walk back to camp.

Back at camp, Ravenpaw ran up to him though the happiness faded to worry as he saw Russetpaw's injury and expression. The patrol dispersed with the senior warriors going to talk with Honeystar. In hushed tones, Russetpaw told his brother what had happened. He watched his brothers expression change from worried to outraged. "Lionclaw has never outright slapped me before."

"We need to get that cut looked at. Junipernose should have something for it, come on." Ravenpaws first careful course of action was to do two things at once- treat his brothers wounds, and distract them both from what was surely to come. Ravenpaw had always been the most logical of the two. Russetpaw was clever, but he was also reactionary. He was amazed at himself for not having escalated the situation further.

He followed after Ravenpaw's black tail and soon enough they were in the old honeycomb, a large open den dug out of the soil with pillars of dirt to keep the ceiling from collapsing. It was here that the medicine cats of WindClan made their dens and treated their patients. Junipernose was seen sitting the herb stores, cleaning up some fresh thyme before putting it away. He looked up at them as they entered and sighed audibly at Russetpaw's muzzle.

"What happened?" He asked, putting down the thyme and picking up a marigold leaf. He began to chew it as he walked towards them and inspect the bleeding. "Lionclaw attacked him." Ravenpaw spoke up before Russetpaw could, though Russetpaw didn't mind. His muzzle was starting to really ache and he sat down to let Junipernose do what he needed to do.

"Lionclaw?" Junipernose huffed with disbelief. "She's snippy, sure, and about as approachable as a stinging nettle, but she'd never turn her claws on a clanmate. At least not without reason. What did you do? And why are you all wet?"

"Emberfang was showing me how walking through the lakewater can help me from passing out. I was getting really hot from the sun and I was having trouble breathing after a run. Lionclaw and her patrol saw us and she started talking about how we have enough fish-brained pretenders in the clan. Then she called me... a halfbreed." Russetpaw saw his brothers shoulders tense again as Junipernose pressed marigold poultice into his cut, making him wince.

"Hmm... well, remember that Gooseclaw is her son. She could still be reeling from what he did last moon." Ravenpaw purred at that.

"After the scandal faded, she's still the only one who really cares." He mrewed. Russetpaw found himself twitching his whiskers and Junipernose purred as well, though he did clear his throat and look sternly at them both.

"This isn't a laughing matter," he said. "I'll be having a talk with her later. For now, I think its best you stay away from her for the time being."

Russetpaw nodded in agreement, not wanting his temper to land him in too much trouble. As they were being ushered out, Honeystars familiar call to a clan meeting sounded and the three cats looked at each other.

"What could she possibly want now?" Ravenpaw's rhetoric was met with a groan.  
"I don't know." _But I think I might._ Russetpaw heaved a sigh and walked out to the clearing with a sense of dread forming in his gut.


End file.
